


The Love Parade

by ladyjax



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternative Lifestyles, Canon Lesbian Character, Community: polybigbang, Female Character of Color, Multi, Polyamory, Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-07
Updated: 2012-02-07
Packaged: 2017-10-30 18:41:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/334875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyjax/pseuds/ladyjax
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's getting together, then there's staying together.  The challenge for Kurt, Mercedes and Puck as they negotiate the still unknown territories in their hearts is how to keep the love they've found. </p>
<p>A sequel to the 2010 Polybigbang story, A Little More Than Ordinary.</p>
<p>
  <img/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**May 2019**

Mercedes took a deep breath and opened up the door to what had been Theodora's room. Almost three months since the memorial and she finally felt ready to face it but it was hard. Theodora had the room that looked out on the street, it was a little larger than the other bedrooms but not by much. Walking in, Mercedes was caught by the lingering scent of Theodora's favorite perfume, Yves Saint Laurent's Opium. Her aunt horded her stash and never over used it. "When you wear perfume you should leave an air of mystery, niece. Not smell like you've been dipped in it," her aunt was fond of saying, especially after an encounter with one of the more enthusiastically scented church sisters. Mercedes smiled at the memory.

Putting the boxes she brought in with her off to the Mercedes walked over to the armoire and rubbed suddenly nervous hands on her thighs before she reached out and pulled open the doors. The plan was simple: go through the clothes and other remaining items that had not already been given to friends and family and sort them into several piles: church, Goodwill, thrift. "I can do this," she said out loud, "I can totally do this."

 As long as she stuck to the plan and did a little at a time, Mercedes knew could finish this task . Even though there was no rush Mercedes didn't want to wait too much longer to take care of at least some of the items. It was easier than living with the memories.

She'd been working steadily for about and hour and a half when there was a light tap at the bedroom door.

“ 'Cedes."

She turned, a detachable fox fur collar in her hands and saw Kurt looking in. " I thought you were out for the afternoon."

Kurt shrugged and sat down on the bed. "I wasn't feeling particularly inspired and decided to come home." He looked around at the piles then at his lover. "I thought we were going to do this together, he said quietly.

Mercedes looked down at the collar and draped it over one of the armoire doors. "I thought I'd get a jump on it." She took a deep breath, feeling tears threatening. "I don't know. I know you were going to do this with me but I thought maybe. I could start.”

Her voice drifted off as Kurt opened up his arms. Mercedes came over and sat down, before being wrapped up in a warm hug. "You were going to be big and brave and try and tackle it by yourself. Sweetie, I loved her too."

Mercedes turned her face to Kurt's chest. "It still hurts," she whispered. Kurt didn't say anything. He just hugged her tighter as the tears began to fall.

~*~

Puck walked through the front door of the brownstone, hanging his bag on on a hook along with his jacket Not just any hook; his hook. Quinn had gotten a hold of a label maker when she was setting up the basement apartment and during a fit of organizational zeal tagged the space above each hook with the name that Quinn thought they should have. Kurt's was Peter Allen, Mercedes was Lady Day, Puck was Neil D. and Quinn's was Tippi.

The smell of frying chicken set Puck's stomach to rumbling and he snagged the fresh loaf of bread that he picked up from the grocers on the way in.

Though he sometimes felt like he was in the midst of a whirlwind Puck wouldn't have it any other way.. He'd gone from being single to finding himself in a relationship with the two people he least expected to have back in his life.

It wasn't without challenges. Puck's partner, Mike Di Geronimo, tread carefully . Mike didn't fully understand Puck's relationship but he was keeping an open mind about it. At least one of his friends, Marcy Sims had pointed him the direction of the local chapter of GOAL, the Gay Officers Action League,but Puck was wary even if it was in a supposedly open environment. His precinct might be able to deal with him being bi if he wanted to press the issue but him being in a real time relationship with two other people? That could be a challenge for some and Puck wasn't willing to court fate.

"Hey."

Quinn's voice pulled Puck from his reverie. He smiled at her. 'sup, Q?"

"Not much. You're just in time."

"Are they both in there?" Puck nodded in the direction of the kitchen.

“They are." She looked behind her then said softly, "It was a little rough today. Mercedes started cleaning out Theodora's room."

Puck sighed and shook his head. "I knew that was going to be hard. I thought Kurt was going to do it with her."

Quinn nodded. "He was, Mercy jumped the gun. She’ll be okay." She walked by him, setting the plates she was carrying down on the dining room table. "Bread?"

Puck handed the loaf over to her. "I'll go in and say hello."

He walked into the kitchen, noticing the tense set of Mercedes' shoulders. "Hey you two."

Kurt looked up from where he sat with a cutting board and a pile of vegetables. "And how was your day, constable?"

"Ever eventful," Puck replied. He walked over and kissed Kurt, his fingers slipping into the other man's hair before he pulled away. Puck then walked over to Mercedes who was taking the last of the chicken out of the pan to drain. Reaching around her, he turned off the burners, took the tongs out of her hand then wrapped his arms around her, pressing against her back.

"Quinn told me what happened" he said . “You okay”

Mercedes didn't say anything at first, just leaned back into his strength and rested there.

He slipped his hands up to her shoulders and began a slow massage, fingers digging into the tight places until she relaxed.

“I'm okay,” she said. Turning her head, she looked up at him with a wistful smile. “I got a little overwhelmed but Kurt came and now you.”

"If you want to talk," he began and her hand covered his.

"Thanks. I love you." Mercedes replied. A slight cough came from the kitchen entrance and they all looked up to see Quinn standing in the door way, wiping her hands on a towel.

"I don’t know about you but I'm ready to eat."

"Well, far be it from me to keep you from your food, Quinn," Mercedes said as she pulled away from Puck.. She turned and kissed him quickly before gathering up the plate full of chicken and going into the dining room. Puck looked over at Kurt, who was putting the veggies in a bowl already filled with lettuce.

"Long day?"

Kurt nodded. "A little. I'm thinking about leaving the store."

Puck's eyebrow went up.. "That's a change. Why?"

"It was never supposed to be permanent. And I'm not sure how much more I want to deal with some of my more bitchier coworkers” Kurt picked up the salad bowl while Puck gathered the necessary utensils. They talked as they walked.

”Mercedes and I are both doing okay money-wise. The estate settled quickly and we've put away some finances over the years. I'm at a point where I want to dedicate more time to the music. I'm going to talk to Mr. Wentworth. He might have some ideas.”

Puck nodded. Kurt's boss, Cedrick Wentworth, was nice as bosses went. Plus the man's taste was solid. And truth be told, Kurt was probably right in thinking about shifting his work schedule. There was no way anyone could ignore the changes that were hovering on the horizon. The limited edition memorial mix tape they'd put out in honor of Theodora had gotten a lot of notice from the independent music community And though they'd taken a break from putting on their monthly salons, Puck knew that Mercedes and Kurt were both itching to start up again.

He and Kurt set their offerings on the table and took their seats. Both Mercedes and Quinn insisted that they'd have dinner together as often as they could. There was something to be said for coming home to food and friends and as Puck looked around the table, he realized there was no place that he wanted to be than right there.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning,dawned clear and bright with a hint of coming warmth. Spring finally solidified its hold in spite of Mercedes' somewhat cynical view that snow could always make a surprise appearance even at this late date. Her very first winter in New York saw three feet of snow dumped in the greater Ti-State Area on Easter weekend. It didn't matter that she'd spent four years in Colorado in college, and grown up in Ohio, Mercedes still felt Mother Nature had personally betrayed her by providing a picture perfect weekend previous then cruelly snatching it away. Kurt simply brought her home a lovely Pashima shawl that he'd bought from street vendor in Times' Square.

Mercedes put her faith in the rising temperatures and put on a white tank top and a pair of blue jeans throwing an old oversized shirt over that.

She walked by Kurt's closed door and sang out, "Uh huh, you two ain't fooling anybody.” There was a muffled noise then the door opened and Kurt's head popped out, his normally impeccable hair scattered. "Madame," he said gravely.

Mercedes giggled and leaned over to kiss him."I'm going to head out with Quinn to look at one last gallery You two around later?"

Kurt nodded. "Lunch at Box Deli at 1?

"It's a date," she said and leaned in to kiss him again. This time Kurt's hand came up to slip behind her neck, pulling her close. Her lips parted her tongue jostling playfully with his.

"You could get in here and do that so I can watch," Puck said lazily from his place in the rumpled bed.

"I promised Quinn," Mercedes said with a dramatic sigh before her expression turned lecherous. "But later you're on,"

She went down stairs, pausing in the kitchen to grab her tote bag from the counter. She knocked on Quinn's door.

"C'mon down!" Quinn's voice drifted up from the basement. Mercedes opened the door and went downstairs.

The previously underused basement had been transformed into a livable space for Quinn. Though she had her own kitchenette, she took most of her meals upstairs with Kurt and Mercedes, leaving her with additional counter space when she needed it.

Her light box was given pride of place on the counter and a two large rolling metal carts took up the space next to it.

All of Quinn's travel gear was in one corner; Mercedes noticed how battered the other woman's back pack was. A new one for her birthday, perhaps? The rest of the apartment was as neat as a pin with a space for everything.

“I'm almost ready to go,” Quinn said as she inserted another enlarged picture into her portfolio. “Hand me the tape measure would you?” She made a vague waving motion to a space behind her and Mercedes spotted it sitting on a small table. She grabbed it and handed it to Quinn who tucked it into a small day pack along with a few other items.

“All set?” Mercedes asked. Quinn looked around the room then at her friend.

“Think so. Thanks for coming with me today.”

Mercedes smiled. “Not a problem. Besides, the boys are a bit busy right now. We'll be meeting up for lunch a little later.”

“A bit busy, hmm? So that's what they're calling it.” Quinn's knowing smirk made Mercedes laugh.

“If Kurt's hair was any indication, then busy is the word for it.”

 

Theodora had left Quinn a treasure trove of pictures from her days as a record company executive. What hadn't been donated Sony Records (they held the Columbia Records archives) and various other music preservation entities formed the basis of a show that Quinn decided to put together featuring Theodora's life.

Over the past few months, Quinn had been engaged in a flurry of planning and preparation; contacting not only galleries for possible exhibit space but also tracking down as many people in the pictures other than Theodora.

“The memorial we did here at the house helped,” Quinn had said to the trio one night when they sat in her apartment. “I've got people contacting me who played here and they're giving me contacts that they know.” She'd smiled then. “I think I can pull this off.”

~*~

Quinn stood back and looked at the gallery's pure white walls, turning slowly to take everything in. Mercedes sat on a nearby chair watching her take notes and measurements. It was interesting to see Quinn engage in her process; she was focused, intent on getting the best possible space for the show.

Sometimes, Mercedes would get flashes of old Quinn superimposed over who she was now. Her years in California and later traveling around the country and out of it had shaped her friend into someone who was a pleasure to know. Not that she hadn't expected Quinn to change when they left McKinley; Mercedes had a better understanding of why Quinn ran as far and as fast as she did.

"What do you think, Ms. Fabray?" The gallery owner's obsequious tones grated Mercedes' nerves and she looked over for Quinn's reaction. There was a flash of high school girl in the other woman's smile; the one that said, ' _Yes, I am the head bitch in charge and you better believe I will kick you off the top of the pyramid._ ' "I'm still not sure,” she said. “It seems a little small."

Quinn looked over at Mercedes, who'd quickly picked up her part in this drama. "Small," Mercedes repeated with a vague wave of her hand. "Those pictures are going to need a much larger space."

Quinn turned back to the gallery owner. "I have one more venue I want to check out. But I'll call you early next week to let you know my decision.”

She swept up her portfolio and back pack and nodded at Mercedes. "Shall we?"

Mercedes got up and followed Quinn out the gallery, turning back to waggle her fingers at the owner. "Bye bye." The two women walked less than half a block before Quinn grabbed Mercedes' hand and pulled her down a side street. Mercedes let out a snort and giggled.

"You are a cold, cold woman,” she said.

 Quinn shrugged. "Yeah, well, he was pissing me off with his attitude. I get it; I'm not a big name. I'm not even sure if I want to be a big name but I've got references in addition to the addendum that Theodora added to her will giving me her permission to show and care for the photos.

Mercedes caught Quinn's hand in her own and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You'll do right by Theodora. She wouldn't have trusted you with this if she didn't think you would.”

Quinn sighed. "I know you're right.” Her expression grew wistful.

"What?"

"I've been a little restless. You and Kurt are moving forward. Puck is,a cop which I never would have expected in a million years. I thought once I finally put down some roots things would become clearer and they sort of are but-"

Quinn transferred her portfolio to her other hand so she could put her arm around Mercedes' waist as they walked "You're looking for some direction" Mercedes finished for her. Quinn nodded.

"Kind of. I'm probably psyching myself out about pulling this off." They walked a little while before Quinn continued. "Things are changing."

Mercedes nodded. "They are.”

They crossed the street to the bus stop, just in time to catch the one they needed. Mercedes loved taking mass transit. Despite occasionally missing the relative ease of owning her own vehicle, there were enough ways to get around in New York that made owning a car redundant.

Plus, taking the bus and the subway gave Mercedes prime thinking time. Looking at the people around her, average everyday people, she knew she'd made the right decision to move to there.

She and Quinn made small talk about the exhibit then hopped off the bus when they reached their stop.

~*~

Mercedes spotted Puck and Kurt standing outside of Box Deli and she felt herself smile as she looked at her men: Puck leaning down to listen to something that Kurt was saying, his hand resting lightly in the small of the other man's back.

Even though they were all together, the7 were still on a journey of discovery.

A few weeks after they'd officially started dating Puck, Mercedes had come down to the kitchen one morning to find an envelope addressed to both her and Kurt with a Post-It attached to the front that said, _If we're really serious about this then you should look inside_. Inside the envelope was a copy of Puck's latest STD test results from his doctor.

"It never occurred to me to even ask him for it." Kurt had said at the time.

"If we were still at McKinley, I'd have probably demanded he do it just as a precaution. " Mercedes replied. She looked down at the test results again. "Puck's grown up."

Not too long after that, Mercedes slipped her test results into his pocket before he left to go to work one morning. Kurt gave his to Puck one evening at dinner. Mercedes and Kurt also had copies of each other's tests as well. Everything was thrown into bright focus: their collective commitment felt more real after that.

"Ladies."

Mercedes looked up to find Puck and Kurt looking at her with smiles on their faces. Quinn stood by her side, eyebrows raised in an inquiring expression. "What?"

"When you do that whole thinking and walking thing that you tend to ignore everything else around you." Kurt offered. Puck snickered.

She reached out and swatted Kurt affectionately on the arm. "Hush."

Slipping her arm his waist, Mercedes hugged him, moving to Puck next. But he had something else in mind.

"I want a little more than that, baby,” Puck said. “You left us both hanging this morning.”

Mercedes looked from him to Kurt who rolled his eyes. "Indulge him, he's been like this all afternoon.”

"Really." Mercedes smiled slowly before she leaned into Puck and brushed the side of her breast against him as she went on tiptoe. Puck's hands landed her waist, pulling her even closer so their thighs pressed together.

"Yes really," he replied His head dipped down so he could capture her mouth with his, teeth giving her little nibbles that went from the middle to the edges of her lips. When Puck was finished, he was practically holding her up. Quinn had looked away and was whistling innocently while Kurt's eyes were glued to them both. A quick look downward and Mercedes knew that he had to be hard. Hell, she was wet between the legs from that.

"We, um, we're here for lunch," Mercedes said shakily. She pulled away from Pluck slowly, unsure of her knees which she was sure would give out given the chance.

"Quinn looped her arm through Mercedes' to pull her along. "I for one need some pumpernickel. We'll see you inside.”

"You coming back home with us or are you heading to your apartment after this," Kurt asked as they forged their way through the crowd, picking up the things they needed for both lunch and the house.

Puck looked at Kurt. "Home with you two. Why?" Suddenly he felt Kurt's hand do a quick swipe across his ass. “ Just so you know, I'm not that easy."

Kurt chuckled "I never said you were easy. Now predictable is an entirely different matter."

~*~

They ended up taking their food out to a nearby park and spreading out to have some lunch.

"I was telling Mercedes earlier that with the exhibition coming together I'm wonder what I want to do next." Quinn said. "I’ve gotten some e-mails about overseas assignments.”

"That's new. You didn't say anything about that earlier." Mercedes said. "Anything in particular?"

“Not really. Mind you there's always a hotspot somewhere or I could go on another expedition,” Quinn said, her expression thoughtful. “There's the part of me that thinks I should go. On the other hand, I like having regular hot showers.”

Kurt finished making a lox and cucumber sandwich before he opined, “Never discount the power of a hot shower.””

“I've got some money put away, so I have some time to decide.” She looked at her companions. “So when's Puck moving in?

“What?” “Where did that come from?”

Quinn shrugged. “He's over at the house, four, five nights out of the week." She looked around at her friends who wore assorted looks that ranged from shocked to thoughtful. “Tell me you haven't thought about it.”

Puck sat back, leaning on his hands. “I think it's a little soon to be talking about that.” He looked over at Mercedes and Kurt. “Isn't it soon?”

“You've got linens at the house,” Kurt said. Turning to Mercedes he added, “And you've been buying him that yogurt he likes.”

Mercedes shrugged when Puck looked at her. “What? You like the authentic Greek stuff.”

“And he has a hook,” Quinn pointed out helpfully.

“Do you even see your roommate anymore?” Kurt asked Puck.

Puck shook his head. “Not really, I'm either at work or with...you. Oh.”

The revelation dropped like a stone between them while Quinn munched contentedly on her pickle.

Eventually, they made their way home, the earlier conversation weighing heavily on their minds. "We're having Fettuccine Alfredo tonight," Kurt called out as Mercedes and Puck went upstairs and Quinn headed for her apartment. "Any objections?"

A chorus of "Sounds good," "Fine" and "Okay," answered him. Kurt went into the kitchen to pull out what he needed for dinner.

Even though they'd never had a detailed conversation about it, the thought of Puck moving in had occurred to him and he knew if he asked Mercedes she'd probably answer the same, regardless of her earlier denial. The truth of the matter was that Puck slotted seamlessly into their orbit with very little effort. It both scared and thrilled him.

His hands moved of their own volition, doing the prep work on autopilot. He quartered the chicken ,separating the breasts from the rest of the carcass before putting the remainder. Those were then sliced thin and dropped into a hot pan to cook. Then it was on to the rest of the dinner. A quick salad in a bowl. Cream sauce for the fettuccine. Mercedes had made biscuits the day before and he popped the last of them into the oven warmer.

Kurt loved both Mercedes and Puck. It took some getting used to, so did the sex part. He hadn't told the other two yet but he'd gone to the local bookshop and found a couple of books on polyamory. It was one thing to go ahead and fall into the relationship but keeping it together was another. Still, when they were together, he knew he was home.

~*~

Mercedes stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. Did she really want Puck to move in?

There was a brief knock at the door and she looked over her shoulder to see the subject of her thoughts peek into the room.

"Can I come in?” he asked She nodded at him and he slipped inside. Puck took Mercedes in arms.

"Are you hiding in here?"

"No. I don't know. It was quite an afternoon." She rubbed her face against him and his arms tightened. "Feels good."

"Does it now?" Puck's voice dropped into a lower register and she looked up at him. His eyes were hooded and she felt a small shiver go through her. "You know I'm staying tonight."

Puck's tone made her whole body tighten in anticipation. He walked Mercedes backward until the edge of the bathroom sink hit the back of her thighs. Moving his knee between hers, Puck pushing them apart before pressing in. Mercedes' eyes widened and she leaned into him, feeling the press of the seam of her jeans against her clit.

"I was getting ready for dinner," she said weakly only to have her voice trail off into a gasp as Puck shifted, bringing his knee up and pushing in again so she had to shift up on her toes. "Puck."

"Hmm?"

Mercedes groaned and tried to clear her head but the sensual fog refused to let her go. Her eyes grew heavy..Puck was staring down at her, his mouth sporting the tiniest of smiles. "Boy, you better not laugh," she gasped out as she pushed herself downward to meet his knee. Fingers threaded into her hair, tightening at the back of her neck and pulling just enough to make her tip her head back.

Puck didn't say anything, just held her in place as he slowly worked his knee up and back, up and back, again and again in slow maddening strokes. Mercedes thrust against him, closing her eyes to savor the sensations he was evoking. Puck knew exactly how to touch her and where.

He kept her close, stroking, watching her ride his knee. Leaning down he licked and nipped her earlobe before whispering, "I'm gonna make you cum before dinner."

“Don't you dare,” Mercedes chocked out even as she thrust down. She rode Puck's knee wantonly, until she felt the build of energy near the base of her spine, rising upward.

"Puck...swear to God, if you stop I'll kill you."

Puck shook his head. “No chance of that,” he said. He kept it up until until Mercedes was out of her mind with need.

Her hands grasped his shoulders, fingers digging in as she held on, her orgasm building until it was all she could see taste or want. "Come on, baby girl. Come for me."

Mercedes he bucked against him, her pussy spasming even as she buried her face against his chest. to muffle her own screams.

Puck smoothed his hand over her bringing her down slowly. Her eyes looked into his once more and she smiled satisfied.

He kissed her eyelids and nuzzled her cheek. “Feel better?”

“Oh yeah.”

Mercedes was going to say more only to be stopped by a knock at the door.

”Nookie or dinner. Your choice.”

Puck stifled his laugh only to nearly be undone Mercedes' inelegant snort. He placed a cautioning finger on her lips and shook his head before leaning down to kiss her again. Mercedes broke away and walked to the door opening it. Kurt was leaning against the wall, studying his finger nails.

"Dinner's ready?" She smoothed her hand over her clothes but stopped when she saw Kurt's smirk.

"Of course dinner's ready." Bright blue eyes swept over her. "He didn't mess you up too bad."

Mercedes stuck her tongue out at him as Puck slipped his arm around her midsection and pulled her back against him. "We could skip dinner," he said, waggling his eyebrows at Kurt.

“Incorrigible,” Mercedes said. She slipped out of Puck's hold then reached down to give Kurt a gentle squeeze.

"Mess with the best, baby," she said primly. His indrawn breath was reward enough and she headed for the stairs.


	3. Chapter 3

“I'm going to tell Zanzibar that the exhibit is theirs.”

"You were leaning that way anyway,” Mercedes replied as she passed a basket of rolls to Kurt. Quinn nodded.

“It's a great space, the owner really wants to do it and she has some great ideas for the program.”

Puck thought that he'd quickly get sick of the domesticity but he found himself looking forward to his nights in the house. When Quinn came to stay, Kurt and Mercedes simply made more room.

The thought of moving in had a definite appeal. As Quinn pointed out earlier, he was practically there all the time and it was easier to get to work from here than from his own apartment. And then there were Kurt and Mercedes. He wanted to wake up to them in the morning and hold them when they went to bed at night.

"Puck."

“Hmm?”

“I asked you to pass the veggies twice. You weren't listening.” Kurt said.

Puck picked up the bowl and handed it over. "I was just thinking.”

"We could tell," Mercedes added.“You looked like you were a million miles away."

He looked down at his plate then put his fork to the side. "I was thinking about what we talked about this afternoon. Moving in.”

Kurt and Mercedes looked at each other then at him. "Okay," Kurt replied.

“Give me a little time to think about it. We,” he waved his hand between himself, Mercedes and Kurt. “should talk about it.”

Mercedes' soft smile and Kurt's delighted expression more than made Puck's statement worth it. Looking over at Quinn, she gave him the slightest nod of approval.


	4. Chapter 4

Monday morning and Puck and Mike were walking out to their vehicle to begin their shift.

“Puckerman, you're driving.” Mike said as he tossed the keys which Puck plucked out of the air. He slipped into the car, opening the door for Mike as he did so. Then they were pulling out into early morning traffic, heading downtown towards Wall Street.

“Good weekend?”

Puck spared Mike a look then turned his attention back to his driving. “Yeah, spent it Kurt and Mercedes.” He smiled to himself. “It was good.”

There was quiet from the other side of the car and Puck didn't think any more of it until, “How're you guys doing?”

The question came just as Puck was negotiating a particular tricky intersection. “What'd you say?”

“I was just asking about your, well shit, what are they to you? ”

At the stoplight Puck turned his head just in time to catch the tail end of Mike's gesture which looked like a traffic cop's hand signals. Rather than mock his partner, Puck decided to put him out of his misery. “I take it you're talking about my relationship with Mercedes and Kurt.”

“It's the three of you, right? What do you call that?”

Considering this was the first time he'd brought it up since Theodora died, Puck counted it as a win that Mike had held out this long before asking. Even though he'd been rock solid when he needed to get to Kurt and Mercedes that horrible day, Puck didn't fool himself that the acceptance went any further that that of them being partners. He kept talk about his two lovers to the minimum. He wasn't ashamed of what they were doing but why rock the boat when he didn't have to?

“Things are going okay. We're together but threesome sounds cold.” He paused then said, “I'm thinking about moving in with them.”

They pulled out into traffic again and the conversation died down, which Puck hoped meant that Mike had satisfied his curiosity.  
“You gonna do it?”

“Do what?”

Beside him, Mike huffed, “Jesus, Puckerman, it's like pulling teeth with you. You weren't exactly Chatty Kathy before.”

Puck smirked as he pulled over into a free parking space and stopped the car. “This is driving you crazy, isn't it?”

“Damn right it is. Doris's been asking me why you haven't been over and I had to tell her you were seeing some folks which meant that she wants you all to come to dinner so she can meet them.” Mike got out of the car then glared over the roof at Puck. “You're making my life hard with all your freaky deaky relationship stuff.”

Puck's entire body relaxed at that last part; it was said without heat or rancor but with all the semi-frustration that only long time married men seemed to have.

“Would it make you happy if I said I'd ask Kurt and Mercedes if they'd be interested in coming over for dinner?”

“You'd be a prince among men.”

“I'm sure,” Puck shot back. He settled his belt around his hips as they walked. “Look, I'm glad you asked. I know we haven't talked about it given you're my partner and all. I'll check with them and let you know.”

Mike nodded. “Good enough. And for what it's worth? I'm not going to pretend that I get what's going on with you but you're a good guy. If this is making you happy, then okay. But I want to let you know that I've got you're back.”

Puck nodded. “Anything I need to be concerned about?”

“Might be nothing. But you know how some of the other guys can be.”

A fleeting memory of his previous life as a bully on the football team made Puck say, “Yeah man. I totally do.”

~*~

Mercedes stood in the recording booth shuffling through the music that they were going to run through that afternoon. She'd been booked solid for sessions since the mix tape came out. One thing you could say about the New York music scene, there was always work and word of mouth coupled with a good reputation meant that you could make a name for yourself.

“Hey there, sunshine.”

She looked up and smiled when she saw Terrell Smithson step into the room. “Hey, Terrell.”

Terrell had one foot on the low rung of R&B stardom but with Pete Dallas behind him, he he had a good shot at getting the type of album that could garner some good reviews. Coupled with his smooth good looks, Terrell was the full package.

R&B had undergone yet another renaissance within recent years, with the cycle returning to songwriting, vocals and solid production values behind the scenes There was less of an emphasis on the superstar producer and bloated electronic productions.

Pete brought Mercedes in to record duet with Terrell that he felt hit right in her wheelhouse. She'd read over the composition and had even sat down with Kurt to suss out what parts she wanted to pay particular attention to and as a result, Terrell wanted her sing more on the rest of the album.

“All right you two, let's see where we get to today.”

They ran through several songs before Mercedes stepped back from the microphone. Pete gave a thumbs up. "That sounded great !" he said enthusiastically.

He waved at the pair and they stepped into the mixing booth. Dallas grinning widely. "It's a little rough in places but for the most part, I think you have the feel down." He looked at Terrell. "What do you think?"

Terrell nodded. "I liked it. Sounded fresh and clean. Mercedes, you are awesome!"

Mercedes blushed "When you have good material that makes it easier," she said.

After they worked out the rest of their recording schedule for the week, Pete turned to Mercedes and asked, "Are there any salons coming up? I've got some free time in my schedule and I wanted to come to the next one."

Before she had a chance to answer, Terrell broke in with, "What's this now?"

"My partner Kurt and I run a creative salon out of our house up in Harlem. Music, spoken word - that sort of thing." Mercedes said."We've been doing them for a while in addition to the regular gigs we have around town. She took out her phone and scrolled through her calendar. “Pete are you free two Fridays from now? It's Memorial Day weekend.”

As Pete checked his own Black Berry, Terrell said, " I think I heard about that in the Voice. You had some sort of memorial after your aunt died." Terrell leaned against one of the room speakers, seemingly interested. "Why'd you stop putting them on?"

Mercedes shook her head. "We time after Theodora died to let. things settle down." She grinned. “We're ready to get back to it though. You're welcome to come.”

Terrell nodded. "Sounds like fun." he said. " Mind if I drop by? I'd love to support you."

"That'd be great, Terrell. I've got your email I'll put you on the information list so you get all the details."

~*~

Kurt moved with the after work crowd, easily dropping into the flow of humanity as it descended into the subway. He hitched his messenger bag further up on his shoulder, keeping it close as he passed through the turnstile and on to the platform.

His phone rang. "You've got me," he said.

"I better have you," Puck replied. "Where are you?"

Kurt chuckled. "On my way to you, silly man. I just got off from work. Mercedes will meet us there." He looked up one side of the platform to the other. "I'd say let's have a bit of dirty talk but now's not the time."

“Save it for later."

Kurt would have said more but the low roar of a train began to fill the air. "Listen, I'll catch you soon. Love you."

Puck's answer was drowned out but Kurt thought he caught the end of a 'love you too' which made him smile.

~*~

Kurt walked into Puck's precinct twenty minutes later. Neither he nor Mercedes had been there in a while but he still remembered protocol. Kurt walked up to the desk sergeant and waited.

“Can I help you?” the officer asked without looking up from his paperwork.

"I'm here to see Officer Noah Puckerman," Kurt said. "He should be coming off shift."

That made the other man look up and his eyes widened slightly. "Officer Puckerman, you said?"

Kurt smiled pleasantly and nodded. "Yes, I did."

"I see." The older man looked Kurt up and down slowly, taking in the neat slacks and lightweight shirt. In deference to the rising heat, he'd rolled up his sleeves and carried his jacket over his arm so he wasn't his usual exacting self but he stood there anyway, enduring the desk sergeant's scrutiny.

"Yeah, Mike, I'll see you later."

Kurt looked up just as Puck was walking out from the locker room , his bag over his shoulder., Mike a step or two behind him. He remembered Puck's partner from that fateful day the previous year but had never had the chance to talk further with him. Clearly the universe had it in for him because Mike spotted Kurt and immediately followed Puck.

"Been waiting long?" Puck asked. As a rule, the three kept their PDAs in and around the precinct to a bare minimum. It still felt good to have his man lean over to brush his lips over his cheek. Kurt reached out and flicked a piece of lint from Puck's t-shirt.

"I got here a few minutes ago," Kurt replied before nodded at Mike's approach. "Seems like your partner wants to have a word."

Puck turned just as Mike walked up. "Puckerman, introduce me," the older man commanded. Puck rolled his eyes and Kurt stifled his laugh, schooling his features into something that resembled his serious face.

With a long suffering sigh, Puck said, "Mike, Kurt Hummel. Half of my freaky deaky relationship."

Kurt's eyebrows shot up. But Puck waved his hand, his eyes closed.

"Go with it, babe."

Mike snickered and held out his hand to Kurt. "Mike Di Geronimo, Puckerman's partner."

"I remember you. I never had a chance to thank you for your help last year." Kurt replied. "Puck talks about you a lot."

"About how much of a meddling bastard you are," Puck muttered before Kurt smacked him in the side. "Ow! What was that for?"

Kurt shook his head before saying to Mike, "Mercedes and I are still training him. He's doing well."

Mike barely covered his snort. ”Our boy is doing okay. Listen, I asked him a while back but since you’re here I'll just ask you. My wife, Doris, and I would like you and your other friend to come to dinner with Puck here. ."

The conversation had veered into the twilight zone and Kurt and Puck were clearly in the middle of it. The only thing that would make it perfect would be...

"Hi guys."

Mercedes catching up with them. She breezed into the station house and from the way that more than a few of Puck's fellow brothers in blue stopped to look at her, she clearly made an impression. She was wearing jeans, flats and a white lightweight tunic style sweater, her bag slung over her shoulders. Her hair was pulled back and held in place with a head band.

Seeing Mercedes walking up to their small group, Kurt felt a flush of pride at having such good looking people in his life. When she reached them, he caught her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Are we ready to go?"

"Mercedes, you remember Puck's partner, Mike. I was just thanking him for helping us when Theodora died."

Mercedes turned toward Mike, her smile bittersweet. "Thank you so much for that. You made it a little easier for us that day."

Mike rubbed the back of his head, his ears flushing as he listened. "I gotta take care of my partner here.”

Kurt broke in,” Mike's invited us to dinner at his house.”

“We'll be there,” Mercedes said. She looked at Kurt and Puck then back at Mike. “How about Saturday?”

Mike gestured with his thumb towards Puck. “I should've just skipped the middleman and come to straight to you two.”

Puck rolled his eyes. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

Mercedes stopped when they left the station, hitched her bag a little higher on her shoulder and tipped her head back, closing her eyes as a breeze caressed her face. When she opened her eyes again she saw Puck and Kurt looking at her.

"You're so damned beautiful" Puck said reverently.

She smiled softly. "Thanks." She hooked her arm through Kurt's and bumped against Puck's side. He entwined his fingers in hers, squeezing her hand affectionately.

"Freak."

The word dropped like a stone in the open air. Puck stopped and looked around. Other officers coming on for their shift walked around them. His eyes scanned the men walking around them but he couldn't tell who might have said it.

Kurt craned his head around Mercedes who'd also stopped when Puck did. "What's wrong?"

Puck didn't answer at first, his body quivering. No one would meet his eyes. Why would they? He tightened his grip on Mercedes' hand and said, "Let's go."

Mercedes was about to say something but saw Kurt shake his head out of the corner of her eye. "Dinner?" Kurt said.

Puck turned back to them as his expression softened. "Yeah, dinner sounds good."

 


	5. Chapter 5

"You want to talk about what happened when we were leaving the station?"

Kurt leaned over the table, the remains of dinner between them. They'd spirited Puck away to their favorite restaurant in Chinatown, The Golden Pagoda. Typical westernized Chinese kitsch was off set by some of the best traditional Chinese food in the city. Mercedes went to the bathroom, leaving the two men alone.

Puck threw his napkin on his plate. "I heard someone say something when we were walking," he said.

"What did they say?"

"Freak."

Kurt pursed his lips in thought watching Puck's jaw work. "I figured it was something like that when you froze ." He swirled the last dumpling in a bit of soy sauce and mustard and bit off the end, chewing thoughtfully. "How do you feel?"

The question caught Puck by surprise. "Why'd you ask that?"

Kurt put the dumpling down and lean with his arms on the table. His previously baby faced features had faded a over the intervening years leaving him with sharp, defined features that always drew Kurt in.

"Sweetheart, until us, you pretty much hadn't had to suffer from the slings and arrows of societal disdain." He held up a hand when Puck started to speak. "That's just the truth.. You got a taste when we were in New Directions and shit hit the fan about the baby. I got it early and I know that Mercedes had her share of stupid."

That made Puck sit back. "For real?"

"Puck, there weren't that many Black people on that side of Lima. Having professional parents didn't save Mercedes from some more ignorant people at school. Factor in her weight and the fact that she rarely if ever backed down? Let's just say it wasn't always great to be at McKinley."

Puck nodded."I guess I never thought about it that much beyond the surface .”

"We've talked about it over the years," Kurt replied with a shrug. "And we don't let it define who we are. Making our relationship public in small ways is going to make life different for all of us. "

"Mike talked to me about you guys in the car one morning."

Kurt grinned. "That's what you were referring to?" Puck chuckled

"Yeah, it was a painfully manful discussion, let me tell you." The tension eased as they both laughed. "That's when he brought up dinner."

"I got that. I'm into it. I'm sure Mercedes is too."

"Mercedes is too, what?"

She slipped back into her seat and hung her bag on the back of her chair. "You guys looked like you were having a serious talk."

Puck and told her what he and Kurt had been talking about. Mercedes asked, "Do you feel safe being at work?"

"I do and I'm careful.”

"Sometimes we forget that we don't live in a bubble with just us and our friends. You're a cop. It's one thing for you to be a gay or bi but for you to be in a poly relationship? It's no one's business but ours but we're not even protected by law and people can get funky about things they don't understand."

“Marcy not so subtly pointed out that there’s a GOAL chapter that meets near our precinct."

"GOAL?"

"Gay Officers Action League," Kurt offered. "I do my research." 

"It could have been just a one off comment." Puck said thoughtfully.

"Or the start of something," Kurt returned. "Whatever you decide, you know you've got us "

Puck took both their hands in his own. "I just want to love you guys."

"So do we, baby," Mercedes replied gently. "So do we."


	6. Chapter 6

Mercedes sat on the steps of the brownstone reading and taking in the sunshine when their next door neighbor called out to her.

"Good day to you, Miss Mercedes!"

Absalom Pickering always called her Miss even though Mercedes given him leave to call her by her first name. He was a spry 89 year old gentleman who lived next door. Absalom was old school: always well turned out in a suit and hat according to the season. He tipped his hat to her as Mercedes came down the stairs with a smile.

"How are you, Mr. Pickering?"

"Very fine, young lady. And may I say that you are a vision this lovely day?"

"Thank you. I haven't seen you around in a while."

The old man nodded. "I was a little ill but that passed." Mercedes frowned at that.

"Hasn't your daughter been by? I'm sorry I've been caught up with everything in my life that I haven't been that present."

Absalom shrugged one shoulder. "She has. She's trying to convince me to come live with her and her family in California." He sighed. "It would be nice but I'd miss the neighborhood. I've lived here for fifty years. Why leave?"

"I can understand that." Mercedes looked up and down the street. " It's home."

"Well said. And how are your young men?"

That took Mercedes aback a little. "Um, well..." her voice drifted off and Absalom laughed as she tried to dissemble.

"I may be old, Miss Mercedes, but I am not blind."

"Yes sir," Mercedes mumbled as she ducked her head. Then she looked up at him from beneath her lashes. "You don't think it's bad?"

He shook his head. "None of my business" The three of you are fairly discreet but I'm observant. They seem like very nice young men. The tall one, he's a policeman."

Mercedes nodded. "That's Puck. He's based down in the Village. And you already know Kurt."

"Indeed I do. He's got quite the eye for fashion."

"You should've seen him in high school," Mercedes replied. She leaned leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for asking.”

Absalom grasped her hand and kissed the back of it. "As far as I am concerned, the world could do with a little more love. You three take care of each other. Things will turn out the way they need to."

"I can only hope, sir." Mercedes replied.


	7. Chapter 7

Quinn moved a postcard advertising another event to the side then took a push pin and tacked up one of her own. This coffee shop was the last place she had to drop off some of her postcards. After that it was all up to fate. The date was set and the pictures were ready to be hung. There was a little tickle in her stomach and she had to stop herself from giggling nervously.

“It's not like you haven't had a show before,” she said to herself. There had been student shows at UCLA and other group shows when she was in the country. This was different. Quinn had spent some time with Theodora when she first moved into the house. The older woman would come downstairs and perch on a stool while Quinn was cleaning and talk.

Quinn told Theodora about Beth, the months she'd lived with Mercedes and her downward spiral for months after the birth. She'd known about post partum depression but in the crucible of high school and living with her mother's alcoholism, it hadn't occurred to Quinn that maybe she wasn't all that right in the head.

It was only after she'd been away at school, traveled and did some time with a therapist that Quinn found that core of strength that lived within her.

"Excuse me."

A soft voice at her elbow drew Quinn's attention. When she turned she was captured by a pair of honey colored eyes. Her brain caught up and filled in the rest of the picture: short natural hair with a slight reddish tinge, a narrow brown face that Quinn knew would look beautiful when she smiled.

"Sorry," she said, moving out of the way. 

The edge of the other woman's mouth twitched as though she were trying to hold back a smile "May I have one?"

"Oh. Oh! Sure, please," Quinn said as she handed over one of the postcards. "I was going to leave a bunch of these here."

The front of the postcard featured a picture of Theodora sitting at her desk at Columbia, a phone tucked in the crook of her neck, pen in hand, gesturing at someone out of the focus of the camera. 

" _Have You Met Miss Jones?: Theodora Jones in Pictures._ " The other woman read the title then looked at Quinn. "I like the title." 

"Thanks." Quinn replied. She held out her hand which the other woman took. "Quinn Fabray. I'm curating the show."

"Dorothy McWhorter. Dot for short." Dot said. She looked at the card again. "I should bring my students to see this."

"You're a teacher?" Quinn asked. Dot nodded. 

"I am. I also run an after school arts program and this would be a perfect way to introduce my girls to something that they have little experience with."

Quinn looked down at the cards in her hand and tucked them in a rack below the bulletin board. “I should contact the schools in the neighborhood. Thanks for the idea." She pulled out a field notebook and made a note to herself before slipping back into her pocket. 

Dot smiled at Quinn. "Listen, would you like to get some coffee some time?"

The question caught Quinn off guard. 'Coffee?"

"Yes, coffee or tea if you don't like coffee," Dot replied. “I usually don't do things like this.”

“You mean ask random women out for coffee?” Quinn quipped. “Although I have to tell you it was pretty smooth.”

Dot laughed. “Good to know.” 

Quinn decided to put Dot out of her misery. She took out a business card and handed it to Dot.

“Call me.”

~*~

 "Let me get this straight," Mercedes said, one hand on her hip. "You just happened to go into a coffee shop and bang, this very fine sister asks you out for coffee."

Quinn sat in the crook of the couch, her legs drawn up beneath her. She sipped her Diet Coke before answering. "That's what I said."

"She asked you out for coffee." Kurt repeated. He looked over at Mercedes who covered her mouth with a hand. Quinn looked at them.

"What is wrong with you?" 

Mercedes sat down on the edge of the couch. "Oh nothing," she said lightly. "Just that a woman, a nice looking woman at that, asking you out for coffee is a time honored lesbian mating tactic."

Quinn snorted. "You are not a lesbian." Mercedes held up a finger.

"I have, however, been propositioned by lesbians. There have also been, shall we say, sapphic encounters during college." She leaned over towards Quinn and gave her a mock leer. "And I'm telling you, coffee is just the gateway drug."

Kurt could no longer hold it in. His giggle became a full blown laugh which only set Mercedes off. Quinn's glare eventually dissolved into an massive eye roll. She snorted then flipped through the magazine on her lap. "Hush. I'm going to have coffee with her."

Mercedes nodded. "Not a problem although I will say that this is a change for you."

"What, going for coffee?"

"Can we take the coffee off the table and get down to business as it were?" Kurt asked. "And for this we need cocktails." He got up and snatched Quinn's Diet Coke and headed over to the bar. Within moments, he had a batch of Sea Breezes made up. 

He came back over to both women with the pitcher and glasses which he passed out. Quinn took a sip of her drink then adjusted herself on the couch. "All kidding aside, Dot's nice. She wants to bring her students to the show." 

"A teacher. I like that." Mercedes said. "Quinn, you know Kurt and I are just busting your chops, right?"

Quinn smiled. "I know. I don't know if she's wants anything more than coffee. It would be nice to make a few friends of my own. I love you guys but if I'm really going to build a life here then I need to start meeting people."

Kurt nodded. "True. If you'd asked me back when we were all still at McKinley if we'd be living together all these years later then I'd have laughed in your face."

“All I could see was that I needed to get out of Lima," he continued. "I could have stayed but I think my dad would have kicked my ass out of the house at some point just on principle."

"Does it bother you that Finn stayed behind?" Quinn asked curiously. 

'No. He's better at the business than I ever was. Having him be there with my dad has been a good thing. Turns out that Finn's had ideas that streamlined everything so dad doesn't have to work so hard." 

"That business degree from Ohio State is getting a work out," Mercedes chimed in and Kurt nodded.

"Who knew Finn had the head for it?" He shrugged. "In any case, dad and Carole are doing great, Finn's happy. I heard he's even dating." Kurt shook finger at Quinn. "Don't think that I didn't notice that you very adeptly changed the subject."

The front door opened and Puck walked in, a six pack in one hand and his bag in the other. "Evening."

"Hey baby," Mercedes purred. She got up from her seat and walked over. He wrapped one arm around her and kissed him back. "Quinn's met someone."

"Really?" Puck looked over just in time to see Quinn roll her eyes. "Who's the lucky guy and aren't you celibate or something?"

 Quinn put down her drink and pulled a pillow over her head while she chanted, "Why is this my life?"

"For the record, the interested party is female," Kurt supplied helpfully. Puck's eyebrows went up and he opened up his mouth to say something but Quinn held up a hand. He settled for a smirk.

"I am going to have coffee with Dot," she said primly, throwing the pillow at Puck when he mouthed Dot's name to Mercedes. "There is nothing going on. It's just a case of like minded people meeting."

"Mmm hmm, meeting." Mercedes said then ducked behind puck when Quinn threw another pillow her way.

 

~*~

The trio rode the 7 to Queens for dinner with Mike and Doris.

Any nervousness was swept aside by by Doris's personality. She was full of bubbling good humor. “I've missed you, Noah,” she said, reaching up and pulling Puck's face down to her level so she could plant a smacking kiss on his forehead.

Doris let him go and turned her attention to Kurt and Mercedes. “And you're Puck's friends, yes?”

“Doris, I told you,” Mike said patiently. Mercedes laughed lightly then held out her hand.

“Yes, ma'am. I'm Mercedes and this is Kurt.”

“You've been hanging on to our Noah,” she said chidingly but her expression brightened. “I'm glad you decided to come out with him tonight.” She bustled further into the house. “Mike, get them something to drink! Dinner's almost done.”

Mike shook his head. “My life, Puckerman.”

Puck laughed. “It's all good.”

Mercedes fell in love with Doris. The older woman reminded her of some her own female relatives: pushy but generous with a big heart. It was clear that Mike doted on her. They had one son who was a Marine which was one of the reasons why Doris latched on to Puck.

“You're both musicians?” Doris asked. She rested her chin on her hands, her gaze settling on Kurt and Mercedes.

“We are. We met up with Puck again when he came to the club we were playing at last year,” Kurt offered.

“Puck?”

“Noah's nickname in high school,” Mercedes said. She looked over at him and tried not to smile as he chewed his garlic bread.

“Mikey tells me that you three are, how shall I say it?”

 “Doris.” There was a slight warning tone in Mike's voice. Kurt held up a hand.

“No, it's fine. We are together.”

“I see.” Doris took a sip of her wine then smiled saucily at Mercedes. “So are they...you know...” Her eyebrows waggled exaggeratedly.

“Doris, have you lost your mind?” Mike's scandalized shout was only equaled by Mercedes' smug response, “Doris, they are all that.”


	8. Chapter 8

Quinn met up with Dot at Samarkand Tea House late Tuesday afternoon. “My kids have worked my last nerve,” Dot had said wearily when she contacted Quinn. “I need to talk to an adult.”

Their corner booth was an island of tranquility, which helped calm Quinn's sudden attack of nerves.

"The end of the school year is always like this,” Dot said as she nudged the plate of the tiny tea sandwiches in Quinn's direction then snagged one for herself. “The kids are restless and we're all ready for the summer.”

"Ooooh, these are good," Quinn moaned as she took a bite. She followed up with a sip of her tea then sat back against her chair. "This is really nice. Thanks for inviting me."

“You're welcome.” Dot replied. "I was being pretty forward when I asked you out.”

"Especially if you weren't sure if I was interested in you?" Quinn asked gently. Dot didn't say anything at first and then her face broke into a slow smile.

"I was trying to be subtle."

"Oh you were, although my housemates are convinced that I'm oblivious to the implications of a woman asking me out." Quinn shrugged. "I will admit to a brief moment of denial."

Dot refreshed her own teacup before pointing to Quinn's and pouring in more tea. "So what made you come out?"

"I liked your face,” Quinn said. “ and the way you looked at me. Like you saw something there.” She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands. "What about you?"

"You looked interesting," Dot replied. "You swept into the shop with your cards and then I come to find out that it's your show. I like women who're doing interesting things." Dot dipped her head down before looking back up at Quinn with a mischievous smile. "Plus I thought you were cute."

"I haven't been cute in a while," Quinn said.

"Have you ever been asked out by a woman before?"

"No." There was a pause. “I should tell you that I'm celibate."

"Really?"

"Yes." Quinn's fingertip circled the rim of her cup. "Does that freak you out?"

 Dot sat with the revelation for a moment. "What does your celibacy mean to you? I'll be honest, the only women or men I've known who've been celibate were either monks, nuns or just crazy religious. You don't look like a nun."

Quinn snorted. "I'm as far from a nun as you can get.” She took a breath then let it go before she continued. "When I was younger, I worked hard at being this perfect girl - cheerleader, a good Christian, lots of school clubs.” Memories assaulted Quinn as she spoke. “All of that didn't stop me from being unhappy inside. It also didn't stop me from getting pregnant when I was sixteen."

Dot didn't say anything. She reached out and touched the back of Quinn's hand, her fingers warm and steadying.

"I used to wonder if I should have kept her but I know now I made the right decision. It didn't always seem that way. The guy who got me pregnant - he wanted to try and make it work. In the end, it wouldn't have done anything for anyone, especially not Beth.

"Beth." Dot rolled the name off her tongue as though tasting it. "That's a pretty name."

"It is." Quinn thought about the day that Puck and the rest of the New Direction's boys serenaded her. "Her father named her that." 

Quinn gave Dot a quick smile. “I was in the celibacy club in high school. You see how that worked out. My college roommate was studying the relationship between celibacy, passion and spirituality and I ended up borrowing some her books. I took stock of my life and my choices. Celibacy has helped me get clear on what I wanted to do and who I wanted to grow into.”

Dot cocked her head to one side. “Seems like you've done a pretty good job on that front.” She gave the back of Quinn's hand one last stroke and drew away to pour more tea.

Quinn sat back against the booth pillows. “What about you?”

Dot smiled ruefully. "Unless I miss my guess, you and I come from similar backgrounds economically. My mom was very invested in status and appearances. My father, for the most part, had his own ideas about what kind of people we were."

"Seriously?"

The other woman nodded. "We'd always gone to the right schools, lived in the right neighborhood. Vacations on Martha's Vineyard and no dating anyone darker than Terrance Howard. Going to NYU was my way of rebelling. So was dating the darkest guys I could find. All of it to piss my mother off because frankly it was scarier to try and figure out who I was."

Quinn was quiet, taking in everything that Dot had to say. 

"It wasn't until I met Jelani that I had to face the fact that I was no better than my mother.”

"Jelani is?"

"Former fiance and still the best friend in the world," Dot said simply. "We started to date when I was a sophomore. When he met my mother, I thought that the world was going to catch on my fire."

"He failed on all fronts?”

"That's putting it mildly," Dot replied. "Too dark, came from a family with three kids and a single mom. His mom, Joanne, is fierce. When I met her I realized she's where Jelani got his fire from. " 

Quinn looked at the remains of the tea service on the table. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

They paid the bill and walked outside. Quinn stole a look at her companion. Dot had opted for a feminine Henley shirt and a pair of well worn jeans and boots. She didn't just walk, she strode,

“As much as I loved Jelani, I also had feelings for women. I always had but pushed it aside so I could deal with my mother,” Dot said. “At some point, I just threw my hands in the air and said 'fuck it.' Just like you, I could please other people or please myself.”

"Am I the first.." Quinn trailed off.

"First woman I've dated?” Dot filled in Quinn's aborted question.

"Yes."

"No but my job can put a kibosh on dating. Being a school teacher can be rough on a relationship.”

They stopped at a corner and waited for the light to change. Quinn reached out and took Dot's hand again, letting it swing with her own when they crossed the street. Dot didn't let go.

"It's been a long time since I've actually talked about this with anyone," Quinn said as they passed by a small park. "Have I scared you off?"

Dot shrugged. "I could ask you the same thing."

Quinn made a show of thinking about it. "Nope, not scared off."

"Neither am I." She raised their clasped hands. "Is this okay?'

Quinn looked at their hands and then at Dot's hopeful face. "Most definitely," she replied.

~*~

"Hello."

"Okay, do not freak out," Quinn voice came from the speaker phone. "I'm not coming home for dinner."

Mercedes looked over at Kurt whose eyebrows shot up towards up his hairline. "So, your date went well?"

"Yes. Wait a minute, you have me on speakerphone?"

"What do you think?"

There was a huffing sound and Quinn's voice came back. "I can't believe you. Is Kurt there?"

"I live here," Kurt replied. 

"Ha, ha. Dot's taking me to dinner." 

"She's being the perfect gentlewoman right? Maybe we should talk to her."

"What?" Quinn's voice came back panicked. "Oh hell no. You are not talking to her." Her voice cut off and there was murmuring in the background. "Don't indulge them." Another pause then Quinn grumbled, "Fine. Here."

“Yes?”

“I'm Mercedes, Quinn's housemate. Kurt and I want to ask you what your intentions are towards our girl but she'll probably explode before we get around to it.”

There was a pause and Dot came back on, her voice amused. “She's turning a nice shade of pink.”

An aggrieved “I hate you all” floated over the speaker. Mercedes and Kurt snickered while Dot held herself together admirably. “Will it make you feel better if I tell you I'll have her home by 8?”

Kurt called out. “We like you already!”


	9. Chapter 9

Memorial Day weekend arrived and the house was open to the warm evening air. Mercedes, Quinn and Kurt cleaned from top to bottom. Puck had taken care of some light household repairs that needed doing the week before. By the time the first person came through the front door for the salon the house shone.

Kurt sat beside Mercedes behind his keyboard , sliding his arms around her waist before nuzzling her neck. "You had better not start anything you're not prepared to finish, baby boy." Mercedes said. "You and I have to sing tonight."

His chuckle sent shivers down her spine. "We'll be singing. Perhaps some other things if I have my way about it." Kurt kissed her on the neck.

"I'm sorry Puck's not here tonight." Quinn said as she looked up from where she was checking lenses for her camera.

“I know,” Mercedes groused. "He's pulling a double shift at the station since a lot of the guys are out with a spring flu." She sipped the cocktail that Kurt had made for her and made a face. "More cranberry."

"Done." Kurt slid from behind her and splashed more cranberry juice into her drink before handing it back to her. She sipped it again. "Better."

~*~

"Good evening everyone and welcome back !"

An enthusiastic round of applause greeted Mercedes' announcement. " I wanted to thank you for supporting us through a really rough time. It was hard but knowing people were pulling for us helped tremendously.”

She held up her hands to capture everyone's attention. “Kurt and I have been thinking about ways to make what we do here reach a broader audience. Podcasts, downloadable recordings; you name it we want to try it and make it accessible on a website.”

Kurt added, “We want more people to hear what we're doing because this is a special space and we put out some great music”

Turning towards Quinn, Mercedes said, “Our very good friend Quinn Fabray is our official in house photographer.” Quinn held up her camera and blew a kiss to the crowd.

“She's going to be taking pictures for our website. Don't worry, we'll get everyone to sign a releases just in case any of you become famous.”

“That lets you out, Sheldon!” one wag called out. Playfully. The aforementioned Sheldon turned towards his antagonist and pushed his glasses back up his nose with his middle finger and smirked.

“Play nice,” Mercedes called out. She held up a hand to stave off the inevitable come back. “I know where you live, Carmen. Don't make me come over there.”

More laughter followed as Carmen struck a “who me?” pose.

“Lord, my people,” Mercedes moaned. She recovered then pointed out Pete. “That's my sometime boss, Pete Dallas. He'll be recording tonight's proceedings.”

Pete waved from his place from behind his portable mixing board. "He's volunteered some more mastering and studio time for us to put out more for you to listen to As always, your feedback is important. I don't have to tell y'all not to be shy."

Amused catcalls answered her.

“Lastly, Quinn will be having a show at the Zanzibar Gallery featuring pictures from my aunt's extensive photograph collection. Grab a postcard from the table near the door It has all the information and we expect to see some, if not all of you there.

Kurt tickled a few piano keys and Mercedes turned to him with a smile.

“That would be my cue to get things started. Kurt and I are going to start with Sam and Ruby's The Here and the Now for you tonight so sit back and enjoy.”

Mercedes closed her eyes, her head moving to the music as Kurt played the melody then she began to sing:

_(Mercedes)_

_Come sit with me on the porch where we last had a fight  
And tell me it’s gonna be all right  
Look at me straight in the eye and make sure you don’t lie  
Cause all we’ve got left is this night  
_

_(Mercedes and Kurt)  
And I let my guard come on down   
Cause I want your love around_   
_  
I’m walking away from my past pride  
The here and the now’s what we’ll make right  
If we get to see the morning light  
That’s one more day we get to try  
So let’s give our love a chance to try  
_

Quinn trained her camera on her friends. Mercedes opted for a simple skirt and sleeveless blouse while Kurt wore neat slacks with a pale pink shirt. She snapped one picture when their faces turned toward one another before slipping out of her corner to get them at another angle.

_(Mercedes)  
Rome wasn’t built in a day so I’m not trying to say  
That’s we’ll be best friends right away no  
But I do recall better times so I’ll just toss up a dime  
I’m taking my chances on faith  
_

_(Mercedes & Kurt)  
If you want me to say I was wrong  
Then I’ll say it all night long  
  
I’m walking away from my past pride  
The here and the now’s what we’ll make right  
If we get to see the morning light  
That’s one more day we get to try  
So let’s give our love a chance to try_

She moved around the room, letting each shot come: the glint of the low light off the rims of a pair of glasses; a poet mouthing the words of the piece she was going to read that night.

_(Mercedes and Kurt)_   
_I’m walking away from my past pride  
The here and the now’s what we’ll make right  
If we get to see the morning light  
That’s one more day we’re blessed to try  
So let’s give our love a chance to try_

The song faded away and was replaced by enthusiastic applause. Kurt pulled his microphone forward and said, "Next up is one of our favorite singers and someone that you all know very well: Akiba Wilks. Give her lots of love." Sliding from behind the keyboard, he took Mercedes' hand and they both stopped and kissed Akiba on the cheeks as she was walking up.

"You guys are really good."

Mercedes turned and saw Terrell standing near the doorway. his hands stuck in his pockets. She came over, pulling Kurt along. “Kurt, this Terrell Smithson. Remember, I've been recording backing vocals for his new album."

“That's right. Mercy has told me a lot about you.” Kurt held out his hand. Terrell looked from the hand to where Kurt's arm was around Mercedes' waist. There was a brief hesitation but then he shook Kurt's hand firmly, his eyes ghosting over the two of them. "Nice to meet you, Terrell.”

“Same here, man. Same here.”

“I'm going to check on the refreshments. Kurt caught her hand and pulled it up to kiss the back of it. “Back in a few." He nodded at Terrell then made his way through the milling group of people in the hallway towards the kitchen.

Mercedes watched him leave then turned back to Terrell. "I'm glad you could make it."

The slight frown that marred Terrell's face slid away and he smiled at her. "I told you I'd come." He made a gesture that encompassed the small crowd. "You have quite a following."

She looked over her shoulder and then back at him, her eyes dancing. "We started small, mostly people from Kurt's school and some people I knew from sessions. This is the core group that always comes."

"It's clear that you and your friend both talented." Terrell said. He stepped closer, almost brushing Mercedes. "I'd like it if we had more chances to collaborate."

Something about the way he stood close made her a little uneasy but Mercedes didn't let it show on her face. "After I'm done with you, I have another artist that I'm working with but maybe later this summer."

Terrell seemed to pick up on her mood because he took a step back. "Whatever your schedule allows. You've been great to work with." He looked down at his watch. "Listen, I have another place to be but thanks for the invite. See you on Tuesday?"

"Yeah, sure."

Quinn came up as Terrell was leaving, her camera at the ready. “Friend of yours?”

"Just someone from work,” she said then caught Quinn's free hand and held on tight.


	10. Chapter 10

**June 2019**

Mercedes pulled her headphones off and stepped away from her microphone. Her part in this recording was finally over. She walked into the recording booth and nodded at Terrell. “Good stuff?” she asked.

He gave her a thumbs up. “Yeah, you killed it.”

"Did you have a good time on Friday?"

Terrell smiled at Mercedes and said, "I did. You seem to have quite the following."

"If it gets too big we might have to move but I love having everyone at the house, " Mercedes said. "My aunt used to have musicians over all the time. We're just keeping a tradition alive." She cocked her head inquiringly. "Something bugged you that night."

Terrell opened his mouth then closed it, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. He tipped his chair backward and asked, "That guy I met. Kurt?"

Mercedes perched on the edge of another chair, arms folded across her chest. Her entire body tensed. "What about him?"

"You know he's gay, right?"

She took a deep cleansing breath and quickly ran through a ten count before answering. "Not that it's any of your business what Kurt's sexuality is. I've known him since high school." 

Terrell kept his eyes on her. "Are you involved with him? I mean, you were pretty close on Friday and..."

"And what, Terrell?" Mercedes shot back. "Am I sleeping with him? Is that what you want to know? Am I somehow pathetic for being in love with him? Make no mistake, I love Kurt like I love my own life.” 

Terrell held his hands up as he got to his feet. "Hey now, I was just trying to be a friend. I've got nothing against the boy if he's that way but I don't like seeing people lie to themselves about stuff like this."

Mercedes' eyes narrowed. "I'm not lying to myself. However, you must be high if you think you know me so well that we could even have this conversation." The door opening cut off Mercedes' impending tirade and both of them looked up to see Pete standing in the doorway. The older man looked from one to the other.

"Is everything okay in here?" he asked. Neither said a word until Mercedes stood up. 

"I'm gonna bounce," she said, her eyes cutting briefly to Terrell before coming back to Pete. Mercedes gathered up her bag and sweater. "I'll be in tomorrow," she told him and swept out of the room, declining to say good bye to Terrell.

Pete grabbed a chair and sat down, his pale blue eyes focusing on his client. "What happened?

"I just asked her if she knew her friend Kurt was gay," Terrell said, his tone betraying his lack of understanding. "There's a lot of guys out there who'd use someone like Mercedes to get what they want." He shrugged. "I saw them at that salon thing and they were all up on each other."

"And you immediately jumped to the conclusion that Kurt is using Mercedes somehow," Pete finished for him flatly. He rubbed a hand over his face in exasperation.

Terrell moved as though he was going to get up but one look from Pete dissuaded the younger man from that action. The producer's fingers tapped the top of his desk briefly before he said, "I like you, Terrell. If we play our cards right, we can make you into the star I think you are. Thing is, you don't know everything about the types of people you'll meet in the industry. Mercedes is a good example." 

Pete continued. "You've only known Mercedes for a few weeks and you stepped into something you don't fully understand. I know as much as I do only because Mercedes has let me in that far. In fact, her relationship is probably more normal than some I've encountered since I've been in the biz." 

Terrell opened his mouth but Pete held up a hand. 

"Kurt and Mercedes, they know who and what they are and they're fine with it. Let's just leave it at that.”

Terrell looked down and away to study the flooring. "How bad have I fucked this up?" he asked.  


"Mercedes is a professional. When she says she'll be in tomorrow, she will be," Pete replied. "My advice to you is apologize and mean it. If she wants to say anything more about it, she will."

"Should I send flowers?" Terrell asked. Pete laughed.

"Nah, man. Just give it a little time."

~*~

Mercedes sat in the living room and stared out the window. She'd gone home thinking about what had happened at the studio. Pete wouldn't hold it against her for bailing. She'd stop being mad at Terrell by sometime tomorrow. He deserved to sweat it out for a day. 

Although she'd been concerned about problems on Puck's job, Mercedes hadn't given much thought to other people's opinions about her relationship with Kurt in a while. Not too long after Theodora's memorial service, Mercedes' mother Patrice had called and the two of them had a long talk. That had been a tough conversation. For while Mercedes had found herself in the midst of blossoming love, her mother had to wrap her head around the fact that her daughter was growing into a different person than she expected.

_"Sweetheart, how serious is this?"_

_She felt herself squirming as though her mother was right there instead of hundreds of miles away. "It's serious enough, mom. I love them." She could try and pretty everything up with more words but it wouldn't matter. Her eyes were wide open and she wasn't willing to let Kurt or Puck go without a fight._

_Patrice sighed. "I'm going to need time," she said. "This wasn't what I ever wanted for you, being with two men at once. And Kurt is...?"_

_Mercedes rubbed her temples before she answered. "Kurt is Kurt." She stopped and composed her next words carefully. "I'm not going to pretend that I have all the answers, but this works. *We work*."_

As the memory faded, Mercedes got up from her seat and stretched. Looking around the room.

“Fuck him,” she said out loud. “Man doesn't rule my life.” 

Mercedes picked up her phone and texted Pete:

_MJ: Sorry abt walkout._

_PeteD: No worries. You okay?_

_MJ: Solid._

_PeteD: Terrell knows he f'd up._

_MJ: He did. Not sweating it._

_ PeteD: There may be flowers coming. _

_ MJ: LOL. Roses would be nice. _

~*~

Puck pulled his shirt off then leaned his head against his locker. It had been a longer than average day or so it seemed. He'd run after a suspect, had said suspect pound him in his side. When he got back to the station, some of the guys in the locker room decided to point and nod at him, whispering between themselves.

In high school, he would have waded in with fists flying. Now all he wanted to do was get out of there and get home. Puck shook his head; who was he fooling? Home was Mercedes and Kurt and he needed to just tell them that and be done with it.

"Noah."

He turned to see Marcy Stiles waving him over to the door. Catcalls met her slight breach into the locker room but Marcy just gave them the finger. She nodded at Puck. "When you're done meet me outside."

"You got it."

"Puckerman's such a stud."

"Fuck, would you just give it a rest?" Puck slammed his hand against the locker much to everyone's surprise. He looked around at the guys who'd given him the most hell. "Seriously, what is your problem?"

Kelly Fincher, adjusted his towel and looked at his buddies before he stepped up. "No problem. Just wondering how you happened to pull Twinkle Toes and Precious." The two other officers behind him snickered.

Puck shook his head. "You questions, man up and just ask me." He reached in, grabbed his T-shirt then threw it on, shoving his dirty uniform shirt into his bag along with his pants. He threw his denim jacket on and rubbed his hand over his head before stalking toward his antagonists. He reached Kelly who raised his jaw, clearly expecting it to become physical.

"You're not even worth the trouble. For your information, yes, I am in a relationship with two other people,. No mystery there, no wondering about who's on top or not because I guess that's just what you're wanting to know isn't it?" He looked at Fincher's buddies. "Sorry to disappoint but it's none of your biz. End of discussion. "

Fincher was about to say something when a cold voice cut across the room. "I can take it from here, Puckerman."

Mike pushed his way forward to stand at Puck's side and his belligerent stance told Puck everything he needed to know. "You boys got other shit you should be doing," he said. " Get going."

Puck looked at Mike gratefully. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He walked out of the locker room and Marcy nabbed him, grabbing his arm and guiding him out of the station.

"Where are we going, Marcy?

“GOAL meeting at Cafe Vesuvio.”

“And here I thought your were kidnapping me so we could run away to some island paradise.”

Marcy snorted. "If I were the cheating type and straight, I'd totally go for a guy like you. But I'm not.”

“Good to know because there's the fact that your lovely wife would come gunning for me if that happened.”

“There is that.”

"Marcy."

"Noah," she said in the exact same tone. "Listen, you might be a bad ass but that doesn't mean you don't have people watching your back.”

Puck slung his back pack over his shoulder. "You make it sound like I'm completely oblivious to this."

"In a way you are. Noah, you're a great guy and you don't get into shit with anyone. You've been flying under the radar since we were rookies. " She shrugged. "Now you've got these very attractive people who come to the station and pick you up and it's obvious that something's going on. You don't talk about it. The other guys talk about wives, girlfriends, the girl they're fucking. In their little pea brains they think you should be doing the same."

"Ten years ago I probably would be." Puck replied.

Marcy's disbelieving look made him laugh. "Marce, you're meeting me after two tours int he Coast Guard. They got me on the right track,. The universe has a fucked up sense of humor because it brought the the two least likely people back into my life and damned if they don't love me."

They reached Cafe Vesuvio and Puck stopped at the door. "You go on in. I should call them and let them know I'm going to be late."

" 'Kay. And Noah?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for telling me that." She smiled crookedly. "You're a good guy.

He waved at her before whipping out his cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey babe," Puck said. "Listen, you guys go ahead and get started without me."

"Is everything okay?" Mercedes voice held a note of worry but he hurried to reassure her.

"Everything's fine. Marcy's dragging me to the GOAL meeting and since she's so insistent, I figure I ought to show up to at least one."

There was a low sigh that went straight to Puck's cock and then Mercedes said, "I'll make a plate for you. Don't stay too late, okay?"

"I hear you." He stopped then said, "I love you. I probably don't tell you that often enough."

She was quiet for a moment then her voice came back. "You do just fine, Puck. I love you too."

Puck snapped his cell phone closed then walked into the cafe.

~*~

When the meeting ended, Puck walked out with some of the other cops and made small talk until Marcy came out of the cafe. As they started to walk towards the subway, Puck said, "Thanks for taking me."

Marcy pushed his shoulder. "You know you're going to have to bring Mercedes and Kurt to the Pride picnic at the end of month."

Puck rolled his eyes. "The picnic where I was brow beaten into bringing potato salad? Captain Rooker caught me off guard. One minute I'm minding my own business, the next, boom! Potato salad." 

Marcy smirked. "Big baby. It's a fun way to celebrate Pride and it goes a long way with helping people understand what you're about. I know spouses can get a little wigged out about meeting other cops. I know my girl was."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Lots of GLBT and queer people haven't had a great track record with the cops. Imagine you're in love with someone who represents, at least for you, the same people who may have harassed you on the street. That can mess with someone's head."

They stopped at the corner and then crossed when the light changed. They made their way to the subway station but stepped to the side so they wouldn't block access for other riders. "I think it would be good for Kurt and Mercedes to meet some of the civies as well. They're involved with you. I know Angela was relived to be able to talk people who were in the same situation as she was."

Puck nodded. "I'm glad I came. All joking aside, I should have come sooner."

"Yeah, well," Marcy quipped, "You're a little slow on the uptake but you get it. I gotta get on home but I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay."

Puck waited until Marcy hopped into a cab before he turned and walked down the steps to the subway. 


	11. Chapter 11

Quinn rubbed her hands together and took one last look at the gallery. She'd done everything she possibly could to make this night a success and now all she could do is step out of the way and let everything happen.

The pictures looked wonderful, their large black and white format practically popping off the walls. Mercedes helped with the catalog while Kurt and Puck lent a hand with putting the pictures up.

"Quinn"

She turned to find the owner of the gallery,Zora Phillips, standing behind her. The tall, rawboned woman had taken an immediate liking to Quinn when she came to check out the space for the show Her enthusiasm was the main reason why Quinn finally settled on Zanzibar Zora immediately saw the significance of Quinn's project and taken care to show her the ways to maximize the space.

"Everything looks great and I've had quite a number of my regular patrons stop in talking about how much they were looking forward to this."

Quinn smoothed her hands over her skirt. "If my sweaty hands are any indication then we're going to be okay. I used to get this queasy feeling in my stomach right before cheer leading competitions. That usually meant that we were going to win." At Zoras's skeptical look, Quinn smiled. "Trust me, queasy stomach, sweaty palms all add up to success."

Mercedes, Kurt and Puck were putting finishing touches on the reception table and the refreshments. Earlier they'd gently set Quinn to the side and took over everything else.

“You have enough to worry about,” Mercedes said as she ran down her list of last minute items.

'But I have things to do," Quinn said weakly.

“We've got this,” Kurt added. Puck put his hands on Quinn's shoulders and pushed her towards a chair. She sat down and he took one her hands in his.

“Sweaty palms, Q?” he asked. She nodded and her stomach flip flopped.

“Yeah. But I've got you guys. How can I fail?”

Zora looked over where the three were bustling with the final preparations."They're great aren't they?" Mercedes looked up and waved. Quinn waved , a warm feeling flowing through her bones. It felt good to be loved and cared for. "I think I'm ready."

Zora reached out and rested her hands on Quinn's shoulders. "You are ready. It's a great show, you did your friend's aunt proud." She looked up as the door bell at the front of the store rang, and a small group of people trooped in. Kurt smoothly gathered up the programs and passed them out while Puck stood beside him. Mercedes walked over and looped her arm through Quinn's.

"Hey lady."

"Hey yourself," Quinn replied.

Mercedes looked out toward the front of the gallery as more people spilled inside. "This is all beautiful, Quinn. Theodora would have loved this."

Quinn pulled Mercedes into a hug and whispered, "I couldn't have done it without all of you. You know I love you, right?"

"Always and forever," Mercedes whispered back then pulled away and pushed Quinn forward. Her friend smiled wide and stepped forward into the growing crowd.

~*~

Dot came with her girls and Quinn made a special effort to take them around to each picture and give them some background. They didn't stay long but Dot promised to call Quinn later in the week.

Eventually the crowds thinned down to a tolerable level. Quinn was wrung out but it was a good feeling; the type you got when you knew you'd laid everything on the line and it paid off.

"Quinn, there's a gentleman over there who wants to buy the picture of Theodora sitting at the bar in the Lenox Lounge." Kurt said. He nodded at a tall pale man in a cream colored suit who was gazing at the the picture intently.

That picture was one of Quinn's favorites; Theodora was looking down at the counter, a cigarette dangling from two slim fingers. Next to her, other people looked to be getting off from work but the camera's focus was Theodora. Quinn had chosen it as the a focal point for the entire show.

Quinn smoothed her hands over her clothes and fluffed her hair. "Thanks Kurt, I'm on it." She walked over to the man who was looking at the Lenox Lounge photo. "Hello, I'm Quinn Fabray,” she said as she walked up to him. “My friends tell me you're interested in this piece."

He turned and looked at Quinn, a slow smile forming on his lips. "I'd asked that young man if you'd be interested in selling this one. It's striking."

 "It is isn't it?" She turned so she could stand next to him. "There is no price listed although I do have a suggested amount that I feel it is worth." Quinn grinned at the man. "Let's talk."

~*~

"She looks good," Mercedes said. She nibbled at the last cheese and cracker before sipping her wine. Kurt picked up the remaining programs and neatly stacked them off to the side while Puck sat with Mercedes.

"Quinn needed this. I think Theodora knew it when she left her the pictures."

Mercedes looked at Puck who nodded to where Quinn was talking to the tall man in the cream suit. She looked vibrant, her hands moving as she talked.

"How much do you think she'll get?"

"If she turns on the smile, then I'd say $300.00. What about you?"

Puck narrowed his eyes and watched the gentleman as his body went from indulgent to attentive. He could tell that Quinn was moving in for the kill. “$250.00” Puck said. “

"Care to put some money on that?" Mercedes asked. She reached into her cleavage and pulled out several bills. "Say $50?

"You're on," Puck replied. They watched for a few more minutes before Quinn held out her hand and the tall gentlemen shook it. Quinn escorted him to the door then came back to her friends.

"Well?" Mercedes asked. Quinn rocked on her heels, her hands behind her back.

"He wanted to buy that picture and he wanted to haggle. I gave him a little bit of both." She pretended to buff her nails while she said, "I sold it to him."

"How much?" .

 "$350.00" Quinn replied.

Puck put his hand over his eyes and muttered, "My luck sucks."

"Pay up," Mercedes crowed. Puck peeled off five tens and gave them to her. She put them with the rest of her money and then slipped the bills back into her cleavage.

 


	12. Epilogue

The last of Theodora's clothes were packed away in boxes and sent to the appropriate places. The jewelry and accessories went to various consignment shops around town.

Now all that was left was the cleaning. Mercedes looked around and felt her heart swell with love and gratitude. Puck brought over Mike and Marcy as well as Marcy's girlfriend, Angela, to help out while Doris promised to stop by with the makings of dinner for everyone.

Kurt's boss, Cedrick, came. As it turned out the older man had a fair hand with detail work on the crown molding.

Dot showed up rolling up her sleeves to pitch in after her morning coffee date with Quinn. All hands together to help them start the next chapter in their lives.

Mercedes ran her brush over the wall, leaving a trail of pale green in her wake. She'd picked the color when she made the final decision to take the room. Puck would get her old room when he moved in the next week.

It wasn't going to always be easy. Nothing worth having ever was. And even if she didn't have all the answers, Mercedes knew she had the best of everything right at that moment and she was going to hold on to it with both hands.

**Author's Note:**

> Black Berry is a registered trademark of Research in Motion.
> 
> Diet Coke is a registered trademark of Coco Cola, Inc.
> 
> _The Here and The Now_ from the album, The Here and the Now, Sam & Ruby, Rykodisc, 2009
> 
> _To:_   
> _Coniraya who did the yeoman's job in helping carry this sequel to the finish._   
> _Clex-Monkie, whose art for this blew me away._   
> _Everyone who read the first story and came back for more. Thank you._


End file.
